This invention relates to the handling of mixed denominations of coins, and particularly to an improved coin sorter that is simple in construction and operation.
A common form of coin sorter is the rail sorter in which coins of mixed denominations are fed in a single file and in a single layer to the entrance to a track defined on one side by a rail against which the coins are referenced. The coins in the single file move along the track and past openings of increasing size. The openings are sized for each of the respective diameters of the coins in the mix. As the coins move past an opening, coins of the size of that opening will pass through the opening and drop into a chute that leads to a point of collection. The coins are counted by sensors either as they move along the track or as they move through the openings.
A rail sorter can be designed to distinguish between coins whose diameters differ by only a slight amount. As a result, a rail sorter is very useful in dealing with coinage in which the diameters of different denominations are close to each other and also for coinage in which there are a large number of different sizes of coins.
In the simplest form of a rail sorter, the coins are moved along the track under the effect of gravity. An example of this simple form is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 454,653 issued Jun. 23, 1891 to Kirkmeyer. The use of gravity requires that the track be inclined. Where a horizontal track is desired or where a greater speed of coin processing is desired, the coins may be physically moved along the track usually by one or more driven endless belts. Examples of this form are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,156 issued Feb. 7, 1978 to Abe; U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,855 issued Jun. 9, 1981 to Ueda; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,035 issued Apr. 14, 1987 to Zimmermann. Driven endless belts have also been used in conjunction with inclined tracks as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 2,101,513 issued Dec. 7, 1937 to Samuelsen, et al.
A variation of the rail sorter arranges the track in a circle rather than in a straight line. An example of this variation is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,538 issued Nov. 13, 1973 to Reis. In the Reis patent, coins are deposited on the top surface of a rotating hard disc that forms the bottom of a hopper. The coins are moved by centrifical force through an opening in a wall of the hopper to align the coins in a single file and in a single layer at the circumference of the rotating hard disc. The single file of coins passes through a tangential passage to a sorter plate which includes the track at the outer periphery of the plate. The rail of the track is formed by a rim extending around the track. Above the sorter plate is a second rotating disc. The second disc has a resilient rubber ring on its underside that grasps the coins moving in from the tangential passage and carries the coins around the sorting track and past the track openings.
A coin sorter in accordance with the present invention also has a hard rotating disc on which coins are deposited and an adjacent sorter plate with a circular track and with an overlying rotating disc having a resilient underside. However, in the present invention the rotating hard disc and the rotating resilient disc overlap so that coins are handed off from the hard disc to the resilient disc. The result is a coin sorter that can operate at a relatively high speed without jamming and with accuracy in sorting.
The apparatus of the present invention can also be used to sort one or more selected denominations of coins from a mix of coins to feed the selected coins to packaging mechanisms or other coin handling equipment.